Take your helmet off
by SarahSunshineTime
Summary: A Paige/Renegade/Beck story. Slightly AU. First story for Tron. Set in Tron Uprisingish. Paige is hunted down by Pavel, who has a secret agenda to get rid of her. As she's about to get Derezzed a certain program comes and saves her. Hopefully better than it sounds. Rated T for some language.
1. Chapter 1

**Take your helmet off**

Paige once again found her pacing through the streets of Argon for the occupation on Duty. The programs around her noticed her demeanor and red coloring ducked their heads and moved to clear a path. Paige after a few years in the occupation was used to this by now and deep down found herself actually enjoying it. It made her job so much easier especially considering what Tesler had just sent her to do.

Find the renegade, and bring him in, again. This time Paige had a feeling that Tesler wouldn't take no for an answer. Especially now that CLU was in Argon, failing was not an option, at least if Paige didn't want to get derezzed. Paige really didn't want to get derezzed.

After several months of chases and nearly catching the slippery program, the occupation still had little to no Intel on the Renegade. Something that CLU found unacceptable. Paige as well found the lack of information on this defector. From her numerous encounters with the renegade, Paige had only learned a few things about him.

1. This was very obvious but the renegade was male

2. The renegade had skills as a mechanic. (She had learned this from their trip to the island after he had fixed their crashed vehicles into a workable mode of transportation, and then promptly ditched her.)

3. This was just a hunch but Paige expected there was more than one renegade. At least too judging by the two distinctive patterns each one had expressed during their fights. One was more cool headed and rational, never putting civilians in danger (something Paige could grudgingly respect) while the other was able to derezzed programs on the spot.

Paige still hadn't told Tesler about her premonition. Tesler was already way over his head with one defector, he didn't need the idea that two could be running around. Quite frankly, neither did Paige. She sighed inwardly as she once again scanned the perimeter of Argon square. Nothing. _Maybe he won't show_ she thought.

It would make since. He had barely escaped the occupation last time, a few cycles ago when he had tried to break into their base of operations. Paige had been right there, so close to catching him. But then Pavel pushed her out of the way, all while laughing the troubled program that he was, and proceeded after the masked program. Then, when he had failed to recover the stolen data and the renegade he had blamed Paige for slowing him down.

His very existence was Infuriating. Tesler had of course believed him and Paige was warned yet again of how inadequate performance was not an option. Not only that but Paige had been right on his toes, engaging the Tron wannabe in combat and had, if her disk memory was functioning properly hit the side of his helmet with her disk. The thought of the masked figure losing a few pixels filled Paige inside in a twisted way. As a medic, Paige was disgusted with what she had done, but as a solider her code filled with pride.

Just then the communicator on her arm blinked. She looked down and noticed that the Renegade had been spotted by an infantry officer near the docks. A small smile spread across Paige's lips in anticipation. This was her chance. Making sure no civilians were in her way Paige derezzed her bike and headed after the blinking trail.

This time the Renegade was not going to get away.


	2. Chapter 2

A few milacycles later Paige arrived at the docks: She turned off her communicator, she could find him from here. She looked around the crate that she had derezzed her bike behind and only saw shadows. Weird, the occupation should have lighted this whole sector in override to help rat out the Renegade.

Even stranger was that no other officer was here. Paige bit her bottom lip deep in thought. Where were the reinforcements? As silently as she could Paige grasped her disk in her hand in a defensive position and moved behind the crate. Shuffling with her back to the outer edge she inched her way along. The only sound in the docks was the echoing of her footsteps_. This is just too weird_, Paige thought._ Something has to be wrong. Maybe the Renegade took out all of the men already and got away. Or…_

She turned the corner right into Pavel. He smiled maliciously. Behind him five smug guards all stood at the ready position. They obviously were loyal to Pavel.

"Pavel, what's going on here?" She demanded. Pavel just tilted his head and smiled as if he found Paige mildly amusing. Paige could feel an unfamiliar sensation running though her programing, fear.

This was an ambush, but not on the Renegade, on her.

She had to bid her time, gain the upper hand. "Where's the Renegade?" She asked knowing full well that there wasn't one.

"I don't have any idea what you are implying _Paige."_ Pavel slurred her name as if it was something covered in bile. The guards behind him tensed, waiting to strike.

Paige was too occupied to try and come up with a snazzy comeback. _Fake it till you make it_. She reminded herself. "All right then, if the Renegade isn't here we should scatter and go look. Do I have to remind you Pavel that General Tesler doesn't appreciate failure?"

"Oh Paige, you're so naïve." Pavel looked down on her as if she was a child. "It's you that's failed the occupation, not me. In fact the General will be extremely proud of me when I've gotten rid of a glitch in our ranks."

_A glitch,_ Paige thought._ What in the grid is he thinking? _

"Pavel you're insane." Paige bit out. She held her disk out in front of her. "Maybe you're the glitch."

"I assure you I'm not. Unlike you I don't go against my programming. Practicing music Paige, what a way to disrespect the system and you're very code. Why if I didn't know better I would say that you are an ISO."

The insult stung. "Don't you ever…"

"See boys what did I tell you. Denial is always the first step." Pavel backed away revealing his men. "Get the glitch boys!"

Paige leaped into action, her combat training and inters code taking over. She jumped over the first one and slammed her disk into the back of his head. He crashed to the ground. She didn't want to derezz any program. Derezzing any of the assailants would mark her as a defector and traitor of the state. Not missing a beat Paige grabbed the fallen programs baton and electrocuted the next two. These guys were armatures.

Yet give any program a weapon and their still deadly. She ducked the disk of the fourth one and kicked him in the crotch. As he was hunched over she swung her disk upside the head and he also went down. Paige got up and took a deep breath. Then she looked around, where was the fifth.

As she turned behind ready to attack she was greeted by the stinging prongs of the guard's baton and she was electrocuted. Hundreds of highly dangerous volts of electricity shot through her circuitry nearly shutting her down. She tried her best to stay conscious as she fell to the ground. Paralyzed she lay twitching in front of Pavel.

"Really Paige?" He asked. "I thought you were better than this."

"You monster," She spat. Or tried to, it came out more like "wu oster"

Pavel just kicked her in the stomach. Her red circuits set off little sparks. "The monster here is you glitch."

Paige gave him the evil eye. "For the last time I am not a glitch." Glitch was a terrible insult. Glitches went against the system. Glitches were terminated.

"Oh Paige," Pavel exclaimed. "Even Tesler knows you're one."

Tesler? The confusion ran through Paige's poorly functioning circuits.

_It was over_, Paige realized. There was nothing she could do to save her fate. She closed her eyes as Pavel drew his disk, and then decided to open them. She would watch Pavel thrust the disk into her chest. Glare at him as she lay dying and haunt him for the rest of his miserable existence. Pavel opened his mouth for perhaps the last time Paige would ever have to endure: "Prepare to meet the creator Paige."

The final blow never came. Another disk, white came out of nowhere and derezzed right through Pavel's hand. He screamed as his appendage was severed on the ground and started to turn into cubes. With his left hand he grabbed his disk and shouted to the other five guards, the four had started to grudgingly recover. "We're under attack, go, go!"

As fire pixels started to rain down from above the crates onto Pavel they started to run away. Pavel turned and glared at her: "BURN TO YOUR INTER CODE PAIGE!" Then he turned and ran away from the explosives. Fire started to melt away the carts and soon the whole area was in flame. Paige looked up into the dark sky and saw a masked face: the renegade.

A very disturbing thought hit her worse than the electrocution had: "Had the renegade just try to save her?" She tried to move only to be greeted with a massive headache. The Renegade jumped down from the crate above her and landed right next to her.

"Can you move?"

Paige muttered something unrecognizable but the meaning was brought across. _What do you think genius?_ She thought.

"Alright then," The Renegade mumbled. "I can hardly leave you here, just try not to kill me for what I'm about to do deal?"

Paige attempted to nod. The Renegade took this as a yes and scooped her into his arms. Paige had given up on all reality at that moment. _If the occupation was trying to kill her and the Renegade was helping her…_

_Just stop there._ She chilled herself. She felt her eyelids grow heavy as the Renegade ran away from the burning docks. _Stay awake… darn it! Don't you dare fall asleep, Paige. You're in the hands on the enemy. Stay awake…_

Apparently her sleep cycle was not on good terms with her common since at the moment as she felt herself drift off.


	3. Chapter 3

*Paige Break*

Paige's eyes fluttered open. _What had happened?_ She thought as she looked around at her surroundings. She was in a white room, much like that of the old hospital rooms that she used to work at. She sat up in bed and found that an IV with blue energy was seeping into her circuits. She clucked her tongue. "Whoever had attached it obviously wasn't a medic as it was dripping all over her arm. _Unsanitary much?_ She thought to herself. Then again if there wasn't a medic but she was being given an IV where the heck was she?

Paige did her best to recall the moments of the last night. After Pavel and deemed her a glitch and electrocuted then the docks set on fire. Yes, that was right. But how exactly were they? She dug deeper into her fuzzy memory files and remembered a white program. Yes, yes now it was starting to come together. If the white figure was the Renegade then she must be around the Renegade.

Paige's loyalty to the occupation came to the surface for a brief moment. She was close to the Renegade. She could turn him in. Then she remembered that the occupation had betrayed her. She no longer owed anything to the occupation.

In fact, she never had done anything against the occupation and it still treated her like shit. She had worked her ass off for them. She had given up her life as a medic for them. Even she had gone as far as lead programs to their eventual termination all in the name of CLU. And all for what? The system still was jacked up, programs were still purged against and she hadn't saved nearly enough lives. Oh sure, she had saved the programs on the train with Beck but they wouldn't have been in that situation if it wasn't for Pavel. In fact her job had gotten in the way of her relationship with Beck.

Memories started to float back to Paige. The cyber bug incident came to mind first. She had been sent to the games because of Pavel. She had been abandoned on an island because of Pavel. Tesler never appreciated her for her hard work.

After this catharsis Paige laid back in the soft bed. So… she didn't owe anything to the occupation. The realization wasn't completely true. Without the occupation she wouldn't nearly be the strong and independent program that she was now. And besides, the occupation thought she was dead now. She could start over.

Yet… the occupation gave her a purpose.

But that purpose was misguided. It was the wrong purpose. The biggest comprehension hit Paige hard.

She had been fighting for the wrong side.

The occupation was the wrong side.

So then if the occupation was the wrong side that meant…

That the Renegade was right all along? Paige lay back in the bed and looked at the ceiling. This was just too much to take in right now. She closed her eyes and tried to go back to sleep.

A few minutes later the tired program heard the door to the room later. She slowly opened her eyes to find the Renegade standing over her. Paige tried to move away once she recognized him, only to realize that she was still attached to the IV. The IV started to topple and fell across her lap. The Renegade moved closer and Paige flinched. She still didn't trust whoever this was. Instead of doing what Paige had feared he simply grabbed the IV and put it back to its original position.

"Careful," He said. "I wouldn't want you getting hurt."

"Why do you care?" Paige asked curtly.

"Because you're a good person," He said. Then he looked away, "And you're really important to me." Under that mask, Paige could have sworn the program was blushing.

_Who are you Renegade?_ Paige thought. "Prove it." She said.

"What?" The masked program asked confused.

"Prove that you care about me." She said trying to think quickly. "Take your helmet off."

The Renegade stood still, "How can I know that I can trust you?"

"How can I know that I can trust you?" Paige retorted.

"My point exactly" He said fidgeting.

"My point too. How can I know I can trust you?" Paige asked realizing this conversation was going in circles. "Take your helmet off."

"Why should I?" He asked tilting his head to the side. Was he flirting?

_Get your head on straight Paige,_ she chided herself._ Of course he isn't._

"So I can trust you genius. I'm not going to rat you out or anything. The occupation thinks I'm dead, the occupation-"She didn't finish the thought. _The occupation betrayed me._

"You think I'm a genius?"

What? "Yes… I mean know." A headache was thundering in Paige's skull. "Just take the helmet off."

"Only a genius would take of this helmet." He teased.

Paige gave him a death glare. If she wasn't attached to an IV right now… "Just take the helmet off."

"First you have to admit I'm smart."

"What purpose does that serve?" She snapped.

He tilted his masked head to the side. "It proves that you have some small amount of faith in me. And that I know what I'm doing because I'm a genius." Paige was taken aback. He had actually said something slightly intelligent.

"Mr. Renegade," She said her voice dripping in sarcasm. "You're a genius. Now take the Damn helmet off now!"

Why was he still teasing with her? "That was better, now say please."

Paige sighed inwardly. The sacrifices she had to take some days: "Mr. Renegade, you're a genius. Now can you please, with cubes on top take your helmet off?"

The Renegade just stood there for what seemed like a kilocycle. Finally his hand reached up and he derezzed his helmet, revealing the program underneath.

To Paige's upmost shock, it was someone she knew.

Than**k you so much everyone for the wonderful reviews :) This fanfic will probably be only five or six chapters depending on where the story goes. Enjoy!**


	4. Chapter 4

*Paige Break*

The first thing Paige noticed was the ugly gash running down Becks face, going from temple to his chin. Paige felt a pain of Guilt as she looked at what she had bestowed upon the mechanic. Beck smiled nervously, "Um… Hey."

That was the last thing Paige expected him to say. She expected something along the lines of: _"I'm the Renegade dun, dun!" _or "_Please don't kill me!"_

She simply uttered, "Hi Beck."

"Hi there Paige," He smiled softly, "fancy seeing you here."

"So long no see," She responded. "So this is what you've been up to."

He waved his hands around the room in a _Ta-Da_ motion, "Pretty much. You're not mad are you?"

Paige considered it for a second. _Yes she was mad, furious even at the fact that Beck didn't tell her, didn't even clue her in. Yet… she could hardly blame him. He could have been derezzed if she told the occupation. Now the occupation wasn't a factor, and she was what more level headed? Hardly, but now she could understand._ "I was… but, at least now I understand why you did it." She glanced up at Beck, a small smile crossing his face. The expression obviously hurt him as he winced.

"Does it hurt?" She asked softly. "You're face?"

"It's fine," he said stiffly. "Don't worry about it."

"You don't have to lie to me again Beck. Let me look at it." She leaned over and tried to reach for his disk.

"I'm not sure about this…" He said, protectively putting his hand on his disk.

"Beck," she said trying to make herself look more of a caring person than she actually was. "Have you forgotten that I was a medic?"

"That doesn't mean that you're a good one." Beck saw the look on Paige's face.

"At least I can attack an IV Beck." She joked, slightly offended.

Beck grabbed his disk, "You're right about that." He handed her his desk.

Paige gingerly grasped the Renegades disk. She noticed that it was two different disks combined. She touched the unique disk, "Is this?" she asked.

"Part of Tron's disk? Yes, I keep it attached to mine when I'm the Renegade." He said nervously.

"Tron lives," Paige whispered. Then she realized the Irony in the statement. If the occupation heard her say that then she would be derezzed. The statement kind of excited her and terrified her at the same time. "I can't believe it, Tron actually lives." Holding part of him in her hands, the legendary antihero of the grid Paige felt somewhat empowered. "Anyway," She finally said. "Can I access your code with only half the disk?"

"Yes, you can. You just have to bypass the security codes." Beck explained. "The passcode is 'uprising'. "

"Uprising Are you kidding me?" Paige asked. She couldn't believe it. The occupation hackers had tried to decrypt bits and pieces of Tron's code for month from various samples.

"It had to be something I could remember okay?" He said. The cut on his face was starting to worsen. Apparently it wasn't all right after all.

Paige had to laugh a little at that. "All right then Renegade," she joked. "Let's get this party started." She brought up the security files and typed in 'uprising'. Becks code popped up. Paige's keen eye noticed something different. His code, not Tron's, but Becks was slightly different. Not all of the strands of Code were connected. In between the synapses was empty space. Paige knew what it meant; there were holes in Becks code. "Beck…" she whispered softly. "You're a glitch."

Beck simply raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I guess I am. I mean, I did go against my programming."

"Not just that. Glitch has two contexts. One is where the Program possesses the ability to go against their programing and in some cases doing go against their programing. The second is found in the programs code, where the program is not bound to their programing."

"You mean I possess the ability to be anything I want?" Beck asked curiously.

"Yes Beck." Paige continued to look through his code half mindedly finding her way to the part to heal him. "Look here," She pointed to a gap in the code to her boyfriend. "See, you're special. It's like you're in an early evolutionary stage similar to the ISO's."

Beck just stood there. Evolution at its greatest. Paige continued with her healing. After pressing a few different sectors the gush on his face started to disappear.

"Thanks Paige," Beck smiled. His face now whole as Paige handed him back his disk.

"Anytime renegade," Paige saluted. "Now fix this damn IV!"


	5. Chapter 5

**A.N: Oh crap, I've forgotten a disclaimer!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the Tron franchise, if I did Tron Uprising would not have been canceled. **

*Paige Break*

A few days later, Paige had finally been detached from the damn IV. Unfortunately Beck found it necessary to keep her confined to the medical bay. As much as Paige loved healthcare, she didn't appreciate being the one cared for.

When Beck tried to force feed her blue energy it was the last straw.

"Say aww" Beck sat on the side of her bed. He had a spoonful in his hand. He waved it in her face. Paige pushed the goop away.

"Beck I'm fine. Now get that away from me."

The spoon wavered in Becks hand. "Come on you need to recharge."

"Do I need to recharge my sanity?" She asked. "Honestly Beck I'm fine."

"You got electrocuted so bad your systems shut down."

Paige looked at the ceiling; the lights gave her a headache. "That was almost a Myla cycle ago Beck."

"Two Myla cycles actually." Beck whispered.

"What?" Paige asked. "How long was she knocked out?

Beck slowly but the spoon back into the bowl, "You were out for a few cycles."

"Holy Flynn are you serious?" Paige asked, getting out of the Bed. She moved around the room, teetering at first but then getting the hang of it. She saw Beck starting to get Back up, "Sit your ass down Renegade I'm fine."

Beck sat down rolling his eyes.

Paige then tripped and ate the floor. Beck jolted to his feet and grabbed her. He heaved her back into the bed. Paige soon opened her eyes again to find Beck sitting exactly where she had been before, with the blue energy in his hand. "Now are you going to eat?" Beck asked.

Paige tried to look at him seriously, she failed. "Fine," She said stiffly. "But do you really have to force feed me?"

Beck gave her a wolfish grin. "What do you think?"

"Crap," Paige muttered. "Well get it over with."

"Say aww," he repeated. This time Paige opened her mouth stiffly and Beck force fed her the blue energy. It tasted like stale cubes in Paige's mouth. If she ever became a medic, she would have to do something about the dietary standards. No wonder everyone was so eager to leave.

"Whis twastes wike wshit!" Paige told Beck through a mouthful of goop.

"What? You want more?" Beck asked. _This boy was hopeless. _He shoved another spoonful into her mouth. A little bit dripped of off the corner of her mouth and onto her suit.

Paige forced herself to swallow. She opened her mouth to speak, only to be met with another spoonful. Her eyes were as big as disks with fear. "No, Beck. No more!"

"You have to finish it." Beck said sternly.

"It tastes like shit!" Paige complained.

"You look like Shit!" Beck fired back. "Now suck it up and eat it."

"No!" Paige said much like that of a minor program.

Beck tried to shove another portion of energy towards her. Paige countered and grabbed his hand. Beck struggled but Paige held on fending him of like a crazy patient in a medical ward. "Just eat the damn food!" Beck said, tired of her antics.

"I will not sercome to mediocre supplements with no health benefits!" Paige retorted. "Get that away from me." She pushed Becks arm away and losing her balance fell on top of him.

They both continued to wrestle on the floor. Beck struggled under Paige's weight. She held him down and tried to stuff the spoon into his face. "Paige get off of me," Beck said.

"Eat it first!" she shouted down at him.

Beck grunted. "No, I don't want to. It tastes gross!"

Paige gave him a look. "Then why would you want me to eat it?" she asked incredulously.

"It's supposed to be good for you." He mumbled looking onward.

"So am I supposed to build up my immune system by receiving food poisoning?" She asked. She kneed him in the side.

Just then a voice broke their immature food squabble. From down the hall, footsteps could be heard and a voice carried into the room.

"Beck, have you seen my health supplements anywhere?"

Beck froze obviously recognized the voice. "Um… no?" he grunted under Paige's weight.

"Are you sure? I swear I had some more around her somewhere?"

"NO I HAVEN'T SEEN THEM ANYWHERE TRON!" Beck bellowed. Paige stood still. Tron was here…

There was a pause in footsteps from down the hall. "Are you okay Beck. You don't sound all right."

"Umm… no, I'm okay. I'm fine really." Beck said frantically. He mouthed to Paige "Get off!" Paige refused with a smug smile.

"You sound really out of breath, Beck. Where are you? I'm on my way." Tron started down the hall again.

"No, no, no don't come in!"

"Beck what's wrong?" Tron asked as the door opened. The legendary figure of the grid found a very interesting scene in front of him. His apprentice, the renegade was sprawling on the floor while an occupation soldier, the one he had a crush on, Paige lay on top of him. But most appalling was that his supplements had been spilled all over the two younger programs and the floor. Tron started to rub his temples. "Beck, "he started. "Can you please explain what's going on here?"

Paige got off of Beck and stood their oddly not sure what to do. Beck got up and brushed himself off, "It's a long story."

"Well I'd be insulted if it was a short one." Tron said, surveying the scene. "Luckily for you, I'm staying all night. Now get started."

Paige could only think one thought in this scenario. _Beck you sure are Busted. _

**A/N: I think this is a pretty got end to the story. But let me know if you want me to continue. I'd love ideas. TRON LIVES**


	6. Chapter 6

**Warning, I you liked how the story ended last chapter don't read this one. I really am not sure how good this turned out. **

*Paige Break*

Paige was right; Beck was busted for a whole week. Not because he rescued her, nor because we ended up wrestling on the floor. The real reason was because he took Tron's "delicious" health supplements.

Paige spent that week exploring the headquarters of the resistance. They had a training room, kitchen, medical bay, garage, shop and a few off limits rooms. One she found out was Tron's quarters. The other was Becks. Feeling bored when everyone was out and about she decided to hack into it.

When the door opened Paige's mouth literally fell to the floor. There were pictures of her everywhere. On the floor in piles, some snapped from security cameras, others from Becks memory. The wall was made up of a tribute to her covered in new clippings, and other pictures. Worse, it had been collaged in the shape of a heart. Paige wanted to barf. The only picture she ever had was the one from the medical bay with her friends out front. Speak of the devil there it was, a copy of it, black and white was in the middle of the collage.

How did Beck know about that? On his dresser she found a notebook, she opened it and found a Paige entitled all about her.

What I know about Commander Paige:

1. She is a commander in Clues army and reports to general Tesler.

2. She dislikes her coworker Pavel

3. She has had experience as a medic. This does not make since, the occupation does not care for the lives of its shoulders? This must mean something about her past.

4. New information today, Paige used to be a medic.

5. Paige has issues with Pavel, he tried to kill her.

6. Paige cares for the lives of civilians.

7. Paige loves music

The list continued on for several pages. Paige was shocked. Beck seemed to know more about her than she did. Then she just shook her head. She knew virtually nothing about herself. She never had really cared about her individuality.

Maybe it's time for me to figure out who I actually am. Not what the grid wants me to be. But first, I have to address Becks obsession, anyone who's completely obsessed with me has an unhealthy addiction.

**I know I know, this ending sucks total cubes. But now the story is finally complete. I'm sorry for how bad this turned out. Please don't derezz me. **


End file.
